Closed Event Flying Torch Tag

Reducio

Roleplaying as Phylicia Stanwood Interactions: @Lindsey Springhall [Maximilien de Fostoncy] Mentions: Ami Procoppio and Emma Wynn

Up to this point, Phyllis had been choosing targets at random. Who she aimed for hadn't mattered, it just had to be someone in range. But with Maxi out, that changed, because of course she was going to get revenge for him--his time up here, having fun, was cut short! And also maybe because the redhead that had gotten him clearly knew her way around maneuvering a broom. It looked like she was in her element, just like Phyllis was, and that meant it was probably a good idea to take her out before the opposite could happen. Two points were needed for her to catch up to Maxi, three to beat him, so Phyllis needed time, and this girl kind of had the vibes of being scarily good.

Swooping in, her sights locked on the flag, it was both a success and a failure. As she neared, it became obvious that not only had the girl seen her, but it looked like she was just as set on burning Phyllis' flag. Instead of a hit-and-run, this was more akin to jousting. Phyllis didn't pull away, and the next few moments happened very fast, but coming out on the other side, two things were clear. One, that she'd earned a point. Two, that the flag around her arm was alight with blue.

Well, that was that. Sighing with no real disappointment behind it--she would have loved to play longer, but there was no reason to get upset over a fun little competition--she began her descent, savoring the last seconds of cutting through the wind, of being untethered to the ground, before touching down in the grass next to Maxi. Smiles would be exchanged as she dismounted. "I did!" Enjoy the game, that was. "It went fast, but that's kind of just broom games for you." Honestly, without the slower school brooms, it would have been a blink. But a Quidditch game could be over in just minutes if the Seeker was fast enough, giving everyone else little time to play, so that was just the way it went sometimes.

She knew she'd had fun; the thrill of flying never got old and had chased away hexiwizard disappointments for dealing with later. But had Maxi? He'd been open to the idea and surely had to like flying if he was on his broom racing team. Still, he'd been much more tentative about the idea of even coming to a ball, and she wanted to be sure he was having fun. Because if he wasn't, she'd be losing the bet. "Did you?"

"Okay, and your spell splits?" she began, shortly after the inquiry and with a touch of awe. "So cool." Phyllis had half a mind to demand he teach her, but that was a question for another time and she was pretty sure she couldn't do that, even with help. She'd been apprehensive enough about using her wand at all, though it really hadn't gone too badly, just one cast going a little haywire.

The game ended much sooner than she'd expected. Phyllis had been focused on Maxi more than the players still soaring above them, but everyone coming down and the organizer piping up caught her attention. For a moment, Phyllis tried to do the mental math. "Who has the most points?" she whispered. She knew Maxi had three points, but how many points had the remaining people managed to score and, more importantly, how many points had she missed while too caught up in playing the game? She would not be left wondering for long, and Maxi might not even have time to answer; the organizer called for a suit-wearing spell splitter, and there was only one person that could be. With a wide grin, she nudged Maxi forward to claim his victory. This was a defeat she would accept graciously, just genuinely happy they had snagged a win somewhere today.

He was presented with an incredibly valuable cardboard crown and vast amounts of sugar, because that was the true height of all prizes during one's teenage years. Sugar was a necessity and Phyllis would not be swayed from this belief. To her delight, there was one extra gift for everyone there: a sticker. Phyllis in her first year would have turned up her nose at such a thing, insistent on not being seen as a little kid, but she was no longer eleven and had since realized that stickers should, in fact, be treasured. Thus, there was slight eager haste in Phyllis' movements as she returned her broom, which she'd been leaning on, to the pile and then flocked to the stickers, accepting hers with a sunny "Thank you!"

Prizes and participation awards collected, her attention was back on Maxi. "Nice crown." It was slightly sarcastic, but not in a mean way. More of in a "it's made of cardboard" way. She tilted her head to the side in contemplation, glancing down at her sticker. "Would you like a sticker on it to give it some flair? Like a jewel or something." If he agreed, she would peel the backing off her sticker, and if he let her, she would reach up with a rare amount of careful focus to place it in the very middle of the front spike of his crown. But if he wanted to do it himself, she would surrender the sticker, and if he said no, the sticker was then absolutely going on her, and she would decide her upper arm was a good spot.

The little crowd gathered for the game thinned and the sky darkened as the hours ticked further into night. "So," she started, the typical joking in her tone reduced to just a sliver on the edge. This was something she wanted a serious answer to. "Have you had a good time?" That had been where this had all started: going to the ball together, playing Flying Torch Tag, even talking for that first time at all. She had dared him to come, to see that these Hogwarts ball things could still be fun, even if they were chaotic and potentially dangerous. And it did seem like he was enjoying himself, but Phyllis wanted to hear it, to know if he would come again.

Action: Just vibing
Stats: STA: 14 • EVA: 9 • STR: 10 • WIS: 8 • ARC: 3 • ACC: 15
Abilities: Calming Presence • Fearless • Statistically Relevant [+2 Stamina] • Catch
Outfit: Teal dress, biker shorts underneath, white high-top converse

interacts Phyllis Stanwood (@Bridget Collins) mentions Emma Wynn

As Maximilien "Maxi" de Fostoncy [x] English · #586d9d | French · #056b68

A wide grin appeared on Maxi’s face, indicating his satisfaction when learning about Phyllis’ enjoyment. “It’s so good to know that.” he answered, slightly tilting his head and showing his genuine delight. Somehow her having a good time made his eyes sparkle and brows raise with joy, as if he happened to be the game organiser and had received a 5-star review for his excellent service performed, courtesy of Phyllis. This Ilvermony girl was unsophisticated and agreeable - perhaps a bit chatty, but that actually made her adorable and Maxi didn’t find himself minding it at all - so why shouldn’t she enjoy herself have some fun, seeing how nice a person she was?

This recognition coming up might seem a bit hasty, but that’s Maxi’s real thought. Alright, perhaps he hadn’t known her for long, but Phyllis did have the kind of aura to make him feel relaxed and relieved. Her every smile, every gesture, every word was silently encouraging him to step out of his comfort zone. She was not the prettiest girl he had ever met, but she was charming - or rather, calming. Less uptight, more comfortable. He could feel this - there wasn’t much etiquette needed to be around her. He was just Maxi, a random boy from Beauxbatons, and not Monsieur Maximilien, heir of the honourable de Fostoncy family. The changes Phyllis brought to him were certainly positive, good for his own sake, and Maxi knew that he had to thank - um, Merlin was someone that the Englishman often used under this circumstance, but he was sadly French - so perhaps Monsieur Nicholas Flamel (??) for having him meet her in the Hogwarts hall, rather unexpectedly.

This was something he wasn’t really realising - he was actually enjoying the experience, unlike what he had anticipated. Or, to make it clearer, he wasn’t aware of his foreseeable loss of the dare he accepted prior. He met her and joined the Hexwizard as well as the ball with the hope of proving that Hogwarts was a dangerous place for the incapable, but ended up as liking the experience. He thought he’d keep away from the chaos during the night initially, but he actually stuck to the end - and even participated a broom game, something he’d never thought about before yet rather enjoyed. So when Phyllis inquired about his experience, he naturally put his thumb up. Barely reflecting for a second he would give his answer. “Certainly, this was fun!”

“Thanks.” he grinned when Phyllis expressed that his spell-splitting skill was cool. He had to admit that utilising this spell-splitting talent was kinda like a foul in the game, yet he assured himself that it wasn’t- nobody said he could, yet no one said he couldn’t. Hearing Phyllis’ compliments made him relieved - he didn’t really care what others think (though they’d better not think ill of him), but he cared Phyllis’ opinions for some reasons. “Actually, you could give that a try as well! I discovered it quite unexpectedly -” That wasn’t a lie, he didn’t know that wizards were actually capable of that before. “- maybe you can do it too. Focus is the key, perhaps?” He suggested.

He wasn’t expecting that the game was actually ending - hey, there were still people up in the sky! - but it was. His eyes gazed at players landing on the ground, glanced over at the blue light shining somewhere on their bodies - not much left, but still were some. “Umm…” he thought for a second, eyes going through all the players before coming up with an answer. Oh, it was actually horrible. “…me?” uncertainty could be detected in this one-syllable word. Really, he wasn’t so sure, but from what he could remember it just seemed so. “But I could be wrong.” he quickly added. Ugh, he was not so in love with victories. And this was totally unexpected - for a person that initially didn’t want to be present at the ball at all, wasn’t it?

But this was true, his calculations didn’t go wrong. The girl in charge of the event called him - or rather, described his features - for claiming victory. When Phyllis nudged him, he half-turned and offered her a smirk. The crown and candy were definitely exciting gifts for teenagers, especially someone like Maxi. Having the cardboard crown on, he felt he was going through a medieval-timed accolade. Knight de Fostoncy sounded good, though he forgot the fact that knights didn’t usually wear crowns. Nodding to the girl, he bowed to her. “Thank you very much Miss, this was a wonderful event.”

Phyllis received a nice sticker, some prize for participation, when she offered to stick it on his crown. Eyeing the bag of sweets in his hand, Maxi suddenly had an idea. “Candy for sticker, fair?” he laughed. If Phyllis agreed with the trade, he would smile brightly for his success in business. “Then deal.” Allowing her to stick the piece of sticker in the middle of the crown, he would give the whole bag of sweets to her. If Phyllis regarded the candies as not attractive enough for her (though most kids loved sweets, huh?), he’d just keep them to himself, deciding that he’d give these exotic British sweets a taste later tonight. But anyways he would accept her sticker to act as a gem. “Now this is a real crown.” he commented. If Phyllis was really had a sweet tooth like what he had guessed, he would make the offer below. “And, if by any chance you’ll come to France in the future, I’d take you to taste macrons. Oh, and fruit tarts! I promise that they are very delicious. Authentic French treats, five star review.”

Chuckling slightly, he gazed at the girl, who now turned to an inquiry of whether he had had a good time or not. That tone sounded like rather serious, which wasn’t so familiar - yet without thinking twice would Maxi give his answer. “Oh yeah, I think I had -”

And then he realised something, both from her tone and his answer. He was losing the bet, totally unaware of it.

“Ugh, I -” his mouth dropped to a small “O”, right hand raised to cover his forehead. Seriously, he actually lost!? Phyllis must have some kind of superpower - nothing unexpected happened to them during their stay, and the game they participated wasn’t violent or dangerous at all - and he even won it. To say that he did not enjoy the experience was a lie. What a jaw dropping discovery. Oh lord, how could - ??

But he had to accept the fact, this was a fair game from the very beginning after all. When he accepted the dare he had made up his mind to win and kept his eye out for disasters, and what could he say if he failed to spot one? He could feel the unwillingness to claim her as the winner, yet he knew that she was right. At least this time. He wanted to assure himself that maybe Hogwarts had decided to give it a change after the last few balls - misfired Flipendo and flying tent were now strictly kept from the ball ordered by the professors - and Phyllis was just lucky to seize this opportunity. But still -

He couldn’t help but laugh, accompanied with a slight shrug. After a good laugh, his smile faltered and Maxi formally stretched his arm out to offer Phyllis a hand to shake. “Congratulations Miss Phyllis, you are claiming the victory.” despite his usually stubborn nature this time Maxi was candid. “What an exciting bet. Maybe I have to change my mind now. This is definitely the best ball experience I’ve ever had in Hogwarts.” And soon he could bear no longer in the formal state, the boy again began to chuckle. When was the last time he had laughed so heartily like this? That really was a good question.

stats sta 7 · eva 8 · wis 11 · str 2 · arc 7 · acc 11
abilities Lovely Creature · Perfectionist · Spell Spread
action talking, realising his loss of a bet and laughing
tracker [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Reducio

Roleplaying as Phylicia Stanwood Interactions: @Lindsey Springhall [Maximilien de Fostoncy]

There was something about Maxi suggesting that spell-splitting could be within her magical capacity that had Phyllis lighting up just a little bit more from her already smiley state. She'd just been flying, one of her favorite things to do ever, locked in fun-spirited competition, they'd both had fun, and now she was getting a little ego boost in a rare spot of insecurity. And sure, Maxi hadn't known her long enough to be any sort of authority on what she could do with a wand, but somewhere along the lines tonight she'd elevated his opinion over that of the average joe. It mattered that he enjoyed the game, and it mattered that he so casually believed she might be able to do it. "Yeah, maybe I'll have to try it. And then demolish you when we play something like this again, of course." She added the last part with a smirk, dreaming up future possibilities even though she still half-doubted such a thing would ever be possible. She wouldn't be Phyllis if she gave up before she even tried, though.

Maxi had clearly been paying good attention to the game; he thought he'd won, and he was right. He got his crown and candy, and she got her sticker. Phyllis had been struck by what she would consider a little stroke of genius, and truthfully she would have been disappointed to not see her vision come to life, for cardboard crown to be left unadorned. It was her inner crafter, probably, needing to add a little bit of flair. Luckily, Maxi seemed fully on board with this, spinning it into a trade: she stickered his crown, and he gave her his sweets. "Deal."

Careful, keep it centered... and there it was, cute little sticker on his crown. Phyllis smiled proudly at her handiwork. "That's much better," she declared, and they were in agreement, Maxi deeming it a real crown with the addition. She was happy to accept the candy bag; a younger Phyllis had had a notorious sweet tooth, and that Phyllis wasn't gone, just slightly tamed--no more extreme sugar highs and crashes. Opening the bag, she took one piece for herself to eat now before turning to offer to Maxi. "Want one?" This was still his win, a singular sticker for a whole bag of candy not feeling like the most even of trades, and besides, they both needed to judge British candy. She also needed to judge French candy, clearly. "That would be so cool."

And now for the moment of truth. Phyllis had schooled her expression into something impassive, but it was slipping immediately. She knew she'd won the dare, and that realization was clearly dawning on Maxi, cutting him off right in the middle of confirming his defeat. The corners of her mouth tugged up into something a little smug, and as Maxi floundered, she couldn't help the amusement that leaked out, starting to laugh.

He extended his hand and admittance of her victory, and she shook it. Probably not in the most proper, businesslike, adult sort of way, but they were kids having fun at a ball, so what was the point of being all formal anyway? "Why, thank you." Maxi started to laugh, too, which propelled her own light snickers into something full and loud. Truthfully, this had gone better than even she'd expected. Phyllis had been fully confident she could make Maxi have fun, but for the ball to be completely safe? A welcome surprise.

The laughing would eventually stop, but the smile was going to be glued to her face for the rest of the night, she was sure. But now they did have to face the fact that it was night, this little area they'd come to to play the game emptied out, people slowly heading off. It was about time they did the same. "I'm really glad you had fun. I think this the best ball I've been to, too." Because while it had been her goal to ensure a good time for him, he'd also been such a huge part of making her night. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

Action: Exiting the ball